Seismic or electromagnetic (EM) surveying can be performed for identifying and characterizing subterranean elements, such as hydrocarbon reservoirs, fresh water aquifers, gas injection reservoirs, and so forth. With seismic surveying, one or more seismic sources are placed in various locations above a land surface or sea floor, with the seismic sources activated to generate seismic waves directed into the subterranean structure.
The seismic waves generated by a seismic source travel into the subterranean structure, with a portion of the seismic waves reflected back to the surface for receipt by seismic receivers (e.g., geophones, hydrophones, accelerometers, etc.). These seismic receivers produce signals that represent detected seismic waves. Signals from the seismic receivers are processed to yield information about the content and characteristic of the subterranean structure.
EM surveying involves deployment of one or more EM sources that produce EM waves that are propagated into the subterranean structure. EM signals are affected by elements in the subterranean structure, and the affected EM signals are detected by EM receivers, which are then processed to yield information about the content and characteristic of the subterranean structure.
In certain applications, a survey system for performing surveying of a subterranean structure can include survey receivers that contain non-volatile storage for storing measured survey data. To retrieve data stored in the non-volatile storage of a survey receiver, conventional techniques typically involve removing the entire survey receiver from the field and returning it to a central site to allow data stored in the non-volatile storage of the survey receiver to be downloaded. However, removing entire survey receivers (particularly when there are a relatively large number of such survey receivers) from the field for the purpose of downloading data stored in such survey receivers, followed by re-deploying such survey receivers in the field, can be a time consuming and labor-intensive process. Typically, a sensor portion of the survey receiver is buried in the earth. Thus, re-deploying a previously removed survey receiver means that the sensor portion of the survey receiver will later have to be re-buried into the earth.
In addition to being time-consuming and labor-intensive, removing entire survey receivers from the field for the purpose of downloading data also results in relatively lengthy downtime during which survey data cannot be acquired.